Kerry Howley's jewelry is guaranteed to put some hair on your chest. That's because the recent Middlesex University graduate uses, well, actualhuman locks: her own, plus that of a friend's mother. Glanced from afar, the intricate necklaces sweep across the skin like finely wrought lace or an elaborate tattoo. Look closer, however, and you might feel differently. Hair, according to Howley, is a familiar material we take pride in, yet it becomes a source of aversion once it parts from the body.

ATTRACTION/AVERSION

Piqued by these dueling emotions, Howley wanted to see if she could make discarded follicles attractive again. Each of the five resulting necklaces, inspired by Victorian mourning jewelry, required between 40 to 60 hours to make.

Howley chose to focus on symmetrical forms that are instinctively pleasing.

Howley chose to focus on symmetrical forms that are instinctively pleasing, creating what she describes as a “delicate balance” between delight and disgust. “Although theoretically contrasting emotional responses, attraction and aversion are oddly congruous,” she says. “There is often an element of fascination to the repulsive.”

How ridiculously closed-minded that more people think it is gross to adorn human hair, which I’m sure has been washed, but would have no qualms about wearing the skin and hair of an animal. Keep in mind that no animals were harmed in the making of this jewelry.